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New campaign for reforming the Public Broadcaster and 6-point plan to overcome crisis

We, organizations signatory to this statement, are extremely concerned about the deep institutional crisis the Georgian Public Broadcaster is in. Public trust towards the broadcaster is critically low, while it keeps receiving increasing funding from the state budget. Unfortunately, the Public Broadcaster fails to serve the interests of the public, is unable to fulfill its legal role; and acts instead as a media organization that is in service of political party interests.  

Considering the importance of the role and function of a public broadcaster in a democratic society, we are launching a movement for reforming the Public Broadcaster and propose a 6-point plan involving the following demands:  

1. A meeting with the Prime Minister of Georgia – A higher degree of political will is required to improve the Georgian Public Broadcaster. Therefore, we request a meeting with the Prime Minister where we can present our demands and opinions, and discuss possible solutions.  

2. Members of the Board of Trustees and the General Director must be summoned to the Parliament – We would like to once again call upon the Parliament of Georgia to look into the activities of the Public Broadcaster and organize a public hearing to examine the extent to which the broadcaster is fulfilling its legal obligations.  

3. The Director of the Public Broadcaster Vasil Maghlaperidze must resign – The Georgian Public Broadcaster has made a number of inconsistent and questionable decisions under Vasil Maghlaperidze's leadership. These decisions were related to: a vague plan to reform the broadcaster; implementing a closed staffing policy, whereby journalists from the former Prime Minister's TV station were employed through uncompetitive procedures; suspicious tenders; failure to fulfill program priorities; assuming an editorial policy that was loyal towards the government; closing of the broadcaster’s European Office, etc. Vasil Maghlaperidze was also involved in the Public Broadcaster’s decision to air a video footage of a writer Zviad Ratiani that was taken out of context in a way that served the interests of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which violated universally recognized ethical standards. 

4. 2017 activities of the new management must be subjected to an extraordinary audit – An audit report published by the State Audit Office, which covers the period of 2015-2016, identified significant financial and managerial violations that match the assessments issued by the civil sector. Considering the questionable nature of decisions made by the new management of the Public Broadcaster in 2017, we believe that it is necessary to conduct an extraordinary audit of the broadcaster to examine its work over the past year. 

5. The reform of the Georgian Public Broadcaster must , including a possible revision of the institutional formation of the Board of Trustees and amendment of norms regulating its activities – The existing norms regulating the Board of Trustees clearly do not meet the challenges faced by the Public Broadcaster. Therefore, for the purpose of establishing a more accountable Board that is free of political and economic influence, the Parliament must set up a working group with the involvement of civil society that will develop a better model for setting quotas and selecting members of the Board of Trustees. 

6. The Parliament must not overrule the President's veto on the amendments to the Law on Public Broadcasting – Amendments initiated by the Public Broadcaster reduce its openness and transparency, increase the risk of corruption and significantly damage the advertising market. Therefore, the Parliament must not overrule the veto and needs to work with the civil sector and other stakeholders on legal amendments that are actually needed to reform the broadcaster.

Transparency International Georgia 
The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics 
Georgian Young Lawyers Association  
ISFED
Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) 
Open Society Georgia Foundation 
CIDA 
Media Club 
International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy 
Georgia’s Reforms Associates 
Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center 
Small and Medium Telecom operators Association of Georgia  
Center for Researching Journalistics and Economic Analytics 
Sapari 
Article 42 of the Constitution 
Human Rights Center 
Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation Center of Torture Victims  
Media Institute Journalistic Resource Center 
Europe Foundation 
Georgian Institute for Strategic Studies 
Voice from Georgia 
Women's Fund in Georgia 
Civil Development Association 
Union Demosi 
Bolnisi Language House 
Georgia Rural Council 
Association “Spectrum” 
The Union of Democrat Meskhs 
Community Union Hereti 
Peace Charter We for Sensible Future 
Association Union of Chiatura 
The Young Scientists’ Club of Ozurgeti 
Saunje 
Atinati 
Tkibuli District Development Fund  
Step Kharagauli 
Samtskhe Javakheti Media Center
Human Rights Development Found 
Paata Shamugia - Poet 
Lasha Bakradze - Writer 
Sandro Jandieri - Director 
Gvantsa Jobava - Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association  
Rati Amaghlobeli - Poet 
Lasha Bughadze - Writer 
Nestan Kvinikadze - Writer  Nino Danelia - Professor at Ilia State University 
Nino Ivanishvili - GIPA, Dean of Journalistic and Media Management School  
Shota Iatashvili - Poet 
Zurab Rtveliashvili - Poet 
Levan Berdzenishvili - Philologist 
Nino Bekishvili - Translator/Journalist  
Masho Samadashvili - Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association 
Otar Jirkvalishvili - Writer 
Iunona Guruli - Writer 
Temur Chkhetiani - Poet 
Keti Kantaria - Translator 
Teona Dolenjashvili - Writer 
Diana Anfimiadi - Writer 
Zviad Ratiani - Poet 
Darejan Kikoliashvili - Translator 
Dato Robakidze - Poet 
Jimsher Rekhviashvili - Writer 
Gaga Nakhutsrishvili - Poet 
Irakli Lomouri - Writer 
Gia Jandieri - New Economic School 
Irakli Kakabadze - Writer 
Natia Mikeladze - Goethe Institute 
Khatuna Tskhadadze - Translator 
Nino Robakidze - Media Researcher 
Nino Kharatishvili - Writer 
Teona Jorbenadze - Script Writer/Producer 
Dato Turashvili - Writer 
Ekaterine Togonidze - Writer 
Medea Bakradze - Painter 
Khatuna Tavdgiridze - Writer